


The Snake in the Orchard

by WolfAndHound_Archivist



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, Romance, Second War with Voldemort, Work In Progress
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-08
Updated: 2004-07-20
Packaged: 2018-05-12 15:24:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5670787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfAndHound_Archivist/pseuds/WolfAndHound_Archivist
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the aftermath of Sirius' death, a mysterious woman recruits Harry in reuniting the two men whose moon-influenced blood runs through her veins</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Lassenia, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Wolf and Hound](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Wolf_and_Hound), which was created to make stories posted to the Sirius_Black_and_Remus_Lupin Yahoo! mailing list easier to find. However, even though I still love the fandom, I am no longer active in it and do not have the time to maintain it. To preserve the archive, I began manually importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in December 2015. I posted an announcement with Open Doors, but we may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on the [Wolf and Hound collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/wolfandhound/profile).

"The Dog Star has fallen from the sky."

Aging, blue eyes turned away from their vigil of the waxing moon to fix on a figure standing in the shadows. A stormy gaze met his, and Headmaster Dumbledore stood to greet the stranger who was not a stranger. He bowed his head and the other inclined her own, board- straight black hair falling in her eyes and spilling over her shoulders. Liquid gold eyes held the moon.

"The Dog Star has fallen... and out there, a man is crying tonight. A man and a boy, both of which held his heart. What will you do?"

"Things... have unraveled in a way that I thought would not come to pass," was his feeble explanation, and his guest stepped away from the shadows, slinky body dressed in tight black, high heels clicking against the floor, stirring the ashes of a Phoenix, long cloak slithering at her feet. Her milky skin seemed to glow in the darkness of Dumbledore's office, and rouge lips curled into a smile, baring perfect teeth with elongated canines.

"You were careless, Albus," she murmured, running absent fingernails through the ashes of the Phoenix. Her haunting eyes fell upon the soot and glinted with a story of long ago. "Ashes to ashes, dust to dust..."

"Why are you here?"

She looked up, eyes hard and accusing. "To demand your explanation regarding my father, Sirius Black, and why you allowed his lover to leave."

Dumbledore sighed and sat down, leaning against the back of his worn chair. "Remus... Remus is..."

"Is more than Sirius' lover," she whispered coldly. "His blood, too, runs through my veins. And you allowed him to slip away from this place, his only safeguard, without any explanation of your actions. And Harry, poor boy, you just keep toying with him!"

"Silence," the headmaster hissed, pressing a hand to his temple. The summer heat was cooling, signifying the return of the autumn. The woman crossed her arms.

"Is this how you control them? You force them into submission through silence? So they cannot speak against you?" Her lips thinned. "I want to take the Defense Against the Dark Arts position."

His blue eyes fell upon her, narrowing at her expression.

"I have every right to take this job," she continued, illuminated by the fading moon. Sunrise would be soon. "My father was driven away by our dear Professor Snape, so I feel that I should pick up where he left off. I need his studies. Especially the ones regarding World- Crossovers."

Dumbledore sat straight up at this, and she held out a hand to forestall him. "The Veil is mentioned in those texts. Forbidden or no, I will be bringing my father back. If I do not, I will never be born in this time."

The moon was fading fast, trading places with her brother, whom brought the first rays of marigold light to the world, washing over the castle of Hogwarts. The light poured over her face, lighting her beautiful features, casting parts of her cheeks and eyes into shadow. The moon still hung proudly in her eyes. She leaned forward until her elbows rested against his desk.

"You will call for Remus Lupin, my father. You will summon him here. And tomorrow, when the students arrive, I will be awaiting as Professor Black, the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher." Her eyes flashed, and Dumbledore could see the silhouette of a wolf in them. She stood straight and looked out the window to see the last of the moon fade, sighing.

"Blessed be this place,

More blessed still this tower;

A bloody, arrogant power 

Rose out of the race 

Uttering, mastering it, 

Rose like these walls from these 

Storm-beaten cottages -- 

In mockery I have set 

A powerful emblem up, 

And sing it rhyme upon rhyme 

In mockery of a time 

Half dead at the top." 

He blinked at the unfamiliar poem. "A spell?"

She shook her head softly, and her wild, black hair fell in her eyes. "Yeats." Heaving another sigh, she turned away from the window and moved for the door. "I will keep vigil for the morn. But tonight, I will expect a room. Tomorrow, my class." With that, she swept out the door.

Dumbledore exhaled, rested his head back against his chair, and closed his eyes. A small squawk echoed throughout the office, and he gazed to where Fawkes was opening newborn eyes and gazing about the world. He smiled wanly.

"Professor Black... Professor Mahdis Lupin-Black. The war has taken an interesting turn."


	2. Moon-Like

When the sixth years began to pour into the room, eagerly awaiting their Defense Against the Dark Arts (especially with the promise of a new teacher), a woman stood up at the desk in the front of the room, closing a book and placing a small vial into a drawer. She smiled in greeting, waving them inside with an arm wrapped tightly in black material. Strips of linen hung from her arms, so when she moved them, it looked as if she had wings. Ebony bangs fell past her golden eyes, swathing them in shadow and mystery, framing her pale face. Her left hand rested against her hip, and she stood in a pose that was almost condescending. It was out of place with her benign smile.

Hermione turned to Ron, seated at her side. "She seems nice."

After the seats were filled, her little grin fell from her face and the class went very quiet. Her thin brows knit delicately and the atmosphere became tense.

"How many of you fear the moon?" She demanded quietly, Scottish accent a breath on the air, barely audible. Stepping away from her desk, heels clacking loudly against the stone floor, she moseyed toward the rows where the children sat. "I hate to repeat myself. How. Many. Of. You. Fear. The. Moon?"

No answer. Her lip curled back to reveal a sneer and long canines. "I thought as much."

Without prompt, their teacher crouched down, let her muscles coil and release to shoot her into the air. Her high heels damn-near put holes in the first desk she landed on. She gazed down upon the class, eyes glowing electrum.

"I am not some moron, like that Umbridge character, thrown here by the Ministry. I am highly skilled and very serious. I am uncertain as to what you know, but we are fighting a war, children. And war has NO place for little brats who drive away the first decent teacher of Defense in years because of a condition that is BEYOND HIS CONTROL!!" The frames and trinkets hanging on the walls shook with the force of her rage, and every student quaked. Her voice became quiet once more. "Whom do I speak of?"

A girl toward the back raised a trembling hand, and their teacher glanced over.

"Yes, you with the elf ears."

"P-Professor Lu-Lupin."

The woman grinned and nodded, her black hair tumbling past her shoulders, bangs shivering in front of her eyes. "Ahh, yes. Professor Remus Lupin."

"Oi!" A blonde boy with snapping blue eyes shouted angrily. "I am NOT here to listen about that imposter! That filthy werewolf!"

"Cork it, Mr. Malfoy," she growled, and the class blinked in surprise when Draco complied with a glare. She tossed her head and her hair moved with her. "My name is Professor Black, and I will be your instructor."

In his seat, Harry squeaked.

Her eyes narrowed. "And I am serious about this class. In this room, I will teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. And when I say this, I mean that I know the Dark Arts and you will be defending yourselves against them." She grinned cheekily. "But, for now, we will begin a unit on Astral Levels and how you can manipulate them when caught in a tight situation. Turn to page eight-hundred, seventy-one of your text books and begin reading section XXIV: The Uses of Astral Levels."

Professor Black jumped daintily off the desk and started for her own when she stopped. "Oh, and Mr. Malfoy?" She turned her head to look over her shoulder and smiled darkly. "Twenty-five points from Slytherin."

\-- >

>Harry...

Who are you...?

>Harry... go to her with your questions... she will help you...

I know you... you're...

>Yes, Harry... now go...

\-- >

Harry awoke with a start, legs tangled in his sheets, sweat cooling on the back of his neck. Gazing around the dorm, taking in the sleeping shapes of his friends, he took a deep breath and slipped out of bed. When he left the portrait of the Fat Lady, he was safely under the Invisibility Cloak. As he walked through the winding hallways of Hogwarts, something unseen pulling him toward an unknown destination, he caught sight of the moon. Twilight poured over his invisible form, bright as song and cold as ice.

The face of Remus Lupin flashed in his mind once, and he sighed, wondering how his ex-professor was handling Sirius' death. It occurred to him then that he should write to Lupin, tell him of their new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, of her dark sense of humor, of her beauty and intelligence.

Of her last name.

He reached the end of the hallway he was in, staring at a large door. Glancing about the hallway, waiting for Filch to pop out of a wall, he deemed it safe and reached to open the door. When he did, he was greeted with the inside of the room. And its mountains of books.

Books books books books books. And more books. And for a change of pace: more books.

Professor Black sat atop a pile of books, reading and marking parts of the text with a quill, dressed in a rather revealing nightgown that barely came to her hips. Girders held knee-high stockings in place, and her hair was swept up messily and held by another quill. She looked frazzled and exhausted, but determined. From underneath his Cloak, Harry turned his head and looked past the books and saw a single picture in a rather plain cast-iron frame. A lump grew in his throat when he realized the identities of the people in the photo. A very healthy and happy Sirius had his arms wrapped around a very healthy and happy Professor Lupin while a little girl beamed at the person taking the picture. Harry smiled waveringly at the love in that one silent capture. Sirius, in the picture, said something that had Professor Lupin blush and start strangling Sirius.

"It was my seventh birthday," Professor Black explained without looking up. "Take off the cloak, Harry; it must be positively stifling under there. Pull up a chair and start on the third pile from your right."

Blinking, he removed the cloak and gazed up at her. "Then, Professor Lupin..."

With a chuckle, Professor Black marked her place and jumped down from her seat atop the books and landed gracefully on her desk. She stood in a comfortable slouch, one hand resting on her hip. "Sirius didn't tell you, then?" At Harry's wide-eyed look, she cracked a smile and took up the air of a teacher giving a lecture. "Guess not. Remus J. Lupin has been Sirius' lover since their last year at Hogwarts. However, complications arose in their relationship and forced them to be apart for about twelve years or so... I think we can guess why. Once reunited, they took up where they left off. Due to their love for each other, the Mother Moon, Artemis, saw fit to deem them with a child." She pointed cheerfully to herself. "Moi."

Harry looked fascinated. "A goddess?"

She nodded. "Yes. So long as I followed the Lady Artemis, I would forever remain as Mahdis Lupin-Black, the daughter of the stars and the moon." Then, she frowned. "However, your time had Sirius ripped away from Remus before the damn war was over and they could start again."

"The Veil," whispered Harry.

"The Veil," agreed Professor Black with a grimace. "I must admit that I'm at a loss here. We were never forced to deal with this in my time."

Harry sat quietly and reached for a book. CROSSING OVER AND OTHER THEORIES was the title. He tried to read the first chapter, THE TESSERACT AND THE FOURTH DIMENSION, but the words were blurring together. "Then... Professor Lupin... How is he?"

"Probably wandering around aimlessly. You have to understand something, Harry: a regular wolf will mourn the death of its mate for its life and will not take another. Imagine this coupled with the emotions of a human. Remus could very well die of a broken heart."

A messy-haired head shot up, eyes wide with horror. Professor Black winked.

"But we won't let that happen, mind you." She smiled and gazed over at an old clock that hung on the wall. "Well! Look at the time! Harry, you should be off to bed. I'll see you tomorrow in class."

"B-But Professor Black--"

"Ah ah," she cut him off with the shake of a finger. "No buts, Harry. Back to bed."

With a sigh, he shut the book and placed it back on the desk. He took up the cloak and paused. "Erm, Professor?"

"Harry..." Her voice held a note of warning, but she waited for his question.

"I was, erm, told to come here tonight."

A spark of... of, well, something, flashed in her eyes and an odd smile lit her face. He swallowed noisily, trying to remember the voice of the person that coaxed him to find Professor Black. He drew a blank.

"By who?" Professor Black inquired pleasantly, clasping her hands together. She at least had the good graces to look innocent.

"You know!" He accused, and she chuckled behind her hand.

"Ah, Harry. That is something you must learn for yourself. Now, I won't repeat myself again: To bed with you."

Heaving a frustrated sigh, Harry pulled his cloak over him and crept out of the room and back into the moonlit hallway.


	3. The Five Entities

"Now, in order to defend yourselves against the Dark Arts, you need to learn their history, their origin." Professor Black walked up and down the aisles of desks, hands clasped behind her back, and scrutinized each student. "First, you should acknowledge the fact that there is no God, there are no angels, and there is no Heaven."

Silence. She smiled.

"That's right. The Bible is just a long anthology of Muggle Folklore." Professor Black swept her cloak back. "However, that aside, I will teach you your history." She brought out a rather lovely wand. Eleven inches, rosewood, with the hair of the wolf-god Fenris at its core. A gift from Artemis. "IMAGO TELLUS!!"

The air in which she pointed her wand at shimmered and shivered like a wave, molding itself into a replica of the world, turning swiftly on its axis. It was a beautiful sphere of blue and green and white, illuminated by the rays of the sun.

"The earth is a living, breathing thing," Professor Black murmured, and the room was swathed in darkness. Small dots of light began to swarm the black abyss, and suddenly the Defense Against the Dark Arts room was a solar system. "It had been there for eons and eons, since the beginning of time. And way back when it was young, the earth became lonely."

Neville raised his hand. "How did it get there?"

She winked. "That's a well-kept secret. Anyway, the earth was lonely, so it decided to create."

"Create?" Blaise Zabini inquired.

"Create," Black agreed with a smile. "It created Five Entities to keep it company -- are you taking notes, because you'll be tested on this -- and for years, everything was good. But, before long, it became boring. So, the Five Entities decided they wanted to create."

Pausing in her notes, Pansy lifted a hand. "Professor? Just who are these Entities?"

"I'm glad you asked, Miss Parkinson, very good question. One point to Slytherin."

Pansy turned her head and smirked at Hermione, who huffed in annoyance.

Professor Black's wand was lifted and wrote words swiftly into the dark, glowing orange.

THE IDEA THE BODY THE SOUL THE WILL THE ABSOLUTION

"The IDEA, the first of the Five, would think of something that could be one with the earth.

"The BODY gave the IDEA's thoughts form.

"The SOUL gave the creation a soul, something that would make it unique. No soul was like another.

"The WILL gave the life a choice. This is where the idea of Free Will comes from; the WILL plays a vital role in the creation of the Dark Arts.

"And the ABSOLUTION made it so. So, the Five Entities created their civilization. Can anyone take a guess as to which one it was?"

"The gods," Draco murmured, sitting back in his chair with his arms crossed. "The Five created the gods, who then created everyone else. And when they mixed their blood with mortals, wizards were created."

Professor Black looked impressed. "Very well put, Mr. Malfoy. Two points to Slytherin." She turned her head to smile at the Gryffindors. "Think you lot can redeem yourselves? We'll speculate for a while." She crossed the room and sat on her desk, lifting her wand. "So, tell me, Gryffindor... what do you think happened? How could something go wrong in a society that is supposedly perfect?"

Her image of the earth spun black, and faded into the abyss. "The gods became greedy of each other. The world became dark, thrown into shadow. Can anyone tell me this story?"

A Ravenclaw girl went to raise her hand, paused, and then sat back with a frustrated expression on her face. Professor Black rolled her eyes.

"Oh, for Merlin's sake! Can't anyone think of anything?"

Hermione raised her hand. "Erm... I may be wrong, but, could it be the incident with Hyacinthus?"

A slow smile stole across Professor Black's face, and Hermione let out a breath. "Well done, Miss Granger; two points to Gryffindor." She turned to the class, hidden in the darkness. "Hyacinthus was a mortal and the lover of Apollo, god of the sun and twin brother to Artemis. He was an athlete, beautiful, kind... and Apollo was very much in love with the boy. However, so was Zephyrus. But Hyacinthus wanted nothing to do with Zephyrus, and this outraged him. Does anyone know the rest of the story?"

Silence. Professor Black frowned. "I hear crickets."

"I hear geese!" A blonde in the back exclaimed, smiling. Sniggering echoed through the darkness and the teacher rolled her eyes, biting back an amused grin.

"Zephyrus killed Hyacinthus."

"Lumos." Professor Black's wand lit up to reveal Draco Malfoy, sitting back in his seat, arms cross and eyes darting around wildly. As if he was afraid of the dark. "Do elaborate, Mister Malfoy."

Half of his face was hidden by shadow. "Zephyrus killed Hyacinthus. The boy and his immortal lover were out throwing the discus, when Zephyrus sent the west wind to blow the discus off-course. It struck Hyacinthus in the head, killing him. Apollo, in mourning, made the Hyacinth flower spring from the mortal's blood."

A dark smile curled Professor Black's lips. "And you, Mister Malfoy, know this -- because...?"

His eyes narrowed. "Does it matter?"

She stepped closer. "Oh, I think it does, indeed."

They held each other's gaze for what could have been an eternity, one pair of eyes challenging and the other knowing. Finally, Professor Black relented with a bright smile.

"Well! As I was saying..."

Harry released a breath he wasn't aware he had been holding and stole a glance at Malfoy, who looked a bit ruffled.

"The WILL saw this incident and became obsessed with the darkness that lurks in the souls of their creations. The SOUL had no explanation, but the WILL did. The WILL called it 'Evil', and the WILL ran with the idea, giving creations a new choice: to be good or evil. Thus, the Dark Arts were formed under the watchful eye of the WILL." She clapped her hands together and beamed. The darkness faded and sunlight poured through the windows. Everyone groaned from the sudden transition from night to day. "That'll be your lesson for today! Now, read Chapter XXIII and take some notes. We'll discuss it tomorrow."

________________________________________________________________

Harry found himself wandering through the hallways of Hogwarts once again, wand held up to guide his way. Finally, he made his way to Professor Black's chambers, pushing the door open to reveal the woman sitting back against her desk chair, legs crossed on the desktop, hands clasped in front of her face, elbows stationed on the arm rests, two fingers pressed together in front of her lips. Her eyes were distant, and she appeared to be deep in thought, hair bathed in the moonlight. She was otherwise veiled by shadow. The lights were out.

"He's out there, Harry, somewhere..." Her voice was quiet, almost absent. "Crying for his mate... The wolf will win... if he doesn't have the will to fight."

He shut the door behind him and walked deeper into the room. "He seemed fine when he and Mad-Eye Moody escorted me to the train..."

A snort followed his words. "Father was always like that. I can guarantee you that he's no longer that happy martyr now." She lifted her head and frowned as if snapping out of a trance. "Why aren't you at dinner?"

A sheepish smile lit his face. "I was kind of worried about you when you didn't show up for dinner."

Her eyes softened and she smiled. "Your lover is a very lucky bloke, you know. I never understood why he always touched you, held your hand."

Harry flushed, ducking his head. "A... a bloke?"

"Oh... Oh, I assumed you wouldn't find it offensive. You were so accepting of who my parents were that I didn't think you would mind hearing about your life in my time..."

"Well, I've gone so long without love that I'll take it wherever it's coming from."

Professor Black laughed at that and beckoned him to her side. He sat on a stool that belonged to a vanity of some sort and gazed outside with her. "C-Can you tell me things about him?"

She smiled. "Ah, I think I won't. I think I'll let things unravel as they are."

"That's not fair."

"Nothing is. Now, hurry on to dinner. I'll be right behind you."

_________________________________________________________________

As Professor Black walked down the halls, much as Harry had done about twenty minutes prior, she donned her robes and turned a corner, damn-near stepping on a large rat as she did.

"Bloody rodents," she muttered, took two more steps, and then froze. Her eyes went wide as her mind replayed the scene of thirty seconds ago. That bloody rodent was missing a toe. A finger.

"WORMTAIL!!"

She spun on her heel and sprinted after the rat, which was running rather quickly away. Her high heels pounded on the carpets, and the paintings on the walls yelled after her. Some were even rooting her on. Just as she was about to catch the rat, it found sanctuary in a small hole in the wall, disappearing. She skidded to a stop, panting, and glared at the wall.

"So, you made it back inside, eh? Well, Pettigrew, hear me now." Mahdis clenched her right hand into a fist. "Feel the freedom while you can. So help me gods, in the names of James and Lily Potter, you will be brought to justice."


	4. Renouncement

The Potions Master looked mildly shocked when Professor Black burst into his room, smiling as if she wanted to French Braid his hair. But it couldn't have been that because she already tried it.

"Excuse me, Professor Snape, but could I possibly borrow Draco Malfoy?"

Draco's eyes went a bit wide, and Severus scrutinized her with a dark, curious look.

"May I inquire the reason?"

"No," she answered cheerfully. "Come along, Mister Malfoy!" Professor Black left the room in a flurry of swirling robes and heeled boots, and Draco gathered his things and followed her, looking as if he swallowed a centipede. As the door shut behind them, Harry turned to Ron with confused eyes.

"That was the oddest thing I've seen so far this year."

"And it's sad when it's as foolish as that," Severus agreed with a sigh. "Five points from Gryffindor for discussing topics other than the ones I'm teaching."

__________________________________________________________________

The land surrounding Hogwarts was rather beautiful, Draco had to admit as he walked next to Professor Black. The lake reflected the sun and a flock of white birds skimmed the water's surface before soaring into the endless blue. He watched them with a sense of longing.

"When did you first fall in love with Harry Potter, Mister Malfoy?"

Draco lost his balance and tripped over a hidden tree root. "W- What?!"

The Defense teacher turned keen, golden eyes onto him, wisps of black bangs shading their full luminance from view. He didn't like not knowing who this woman was and what she wanted with him. Her bright demeanor from the outburst in Potions was gone, replaced by this dark and cryptic creature. Was that a wolf in her eyes...?

"You didn't answer my question. When did you fall in love with Mister Potter?"

He glared at the ground as he pulled himself to his feet and hated the woman. Listening to her dissect his emotions wasn't what he had in mind for the day's agenda. "How do you figure that I'm in love with scar head?"

"Well, for one, you're not out-right denying it, now are you? If you were truly against such a notion, I believe you'd be vehemently arguing your case." She winked and smiled. "And since you aren't..."

With a long-suffering sigh, he dropped to the ground and drew a knee up to rest his arm on it. His other leg was folded comfortably. "Second year. It wasn't love at the time... I kept having dreams, nightmares more like... He kept dying, and every time I woke up, I didn't want him to die."

Professor Black sat beside him, watching him patiently, listening.

"And every time I woke up not wanting him to die, I wanted to join his side. I wanted to fight on his side. But..."

Golden eyes gazed out onto the lake. "But sometimes family interferes with plans like that. What happened with your father, Draco?"

Draco lowered his chin to rest it on the arm draped over his knee and heaved a sigh. Nothing had happened with Lucius Malfoy until a week ago. He had kept up the façade for years, pretending to hate Harry Potter and his friends, hate his excursions, hate the good side. He snorted to himself and Professor Black cocked an eyebrow. People were stupid, he decided. Who in their right mind would see an advantage to being the 'bad guy'? Good always triumphed.

"Nothing happened with my father," he finally answered, a tad defensive. "Well, not until two weeks ago."

She perked up slightly. "What happened?"

"He asked me if I was loyal to Voldemort." He looked impressed when she didn't flinch at the name. "I told him that Voldie could go get bent. And then I renounced my name." Draco appeared to be proud of this feat, and she was amused by the smug grin on his face. She muffled a snicker behind her hand and shivered as a gust of icy autumn wind hit her back. Pulling her cloak securely about her shoulders, she got to her feet.

"Do you know who I am, Draco?"

He hummed absently. "With the combination of your last name and the images in your eyes, I'd say there's no doubt."

"Good," Professor Black murmured, turning her head. Her long hair blew gently in the wind. "If you love Harry as you claim to, you'll help me. Help us."

Sharp, blue eyes regarded her. "What did you have in mind?"

She grinned cheekily. "We're going to bring my papa back."

"And how the hell do you propose we do that? Didn't he fall through something? I heard my father and his little clique discussing it." He didn't move to stand, content with sitting on the ground, which was covered in a blanket of dead leaves and cooling soil.

"Well, we'll have to..." Professor Black trailed off, staring at a flying speck in the sky. Draco stood and gazed curiously.

"Isn't that that bloody hippogriff that got my arm back in third year?"

Her eyes went wide. "Buckbeak..."

With a hitched breath, she took off for the castle, leaving Draco to follow her at a slower pace. He watched from several feet back as she expertly jumped over fallen branches and boulders. She ran, he realized, as if she wanted to be on four legs. Either way, she ran faster than he. When they reached the castle, she ran through the outside gardens and burst inside. Draco pushed inside to find her halfway up a flight of stairs, tearing in the direction of the Hospital Wing.

She crashed into Dumbledore before she was within two feet of the door. They both fell back and hit the ground hard, but Professor Black wasn't to be deterred from her destination. Not when she was so close. Not when--

"Professor Black," Dumbledore addressed, trying to soothe her with his old hands on her shoulders, attempting to prevent her from struggling. "Professor -- Stop it, please! MAHDIS!!"

She froze and glared at him with cold eyes. "What happened, Headmaster?"

Draco skidded to a stop, watching quietly, glancing quickly at the door.

"I do not know," the Headmaster admitted softly, as if trying to calm a skittish colt. She shrugged off his hands and got to her feet with great haste. "But Mister Lupin is--"

Madame Pomfrey opened the door and beckoned them inside, surprised when Professor Black brushed past her to get to the bed on which Remus Lupin lay. She let out a whimper, reaching out with a trembling hand to trace his cheek. Gods, he was so pale and thin, cold like death. He was barely breathing. Pain lines stretched from the corners of his eyes and lips, making him seem several years older than his age of thirty-seven.

"Leave us."

Dumbledore nodded wearily, ushering Madame Pomfrey out of the ward, and Draco turned to leave when her voice rang out again.

"Not you, Draco."

He walked softly to Remus' bedside and watched his face for signs of movement. There wasn't a flicker. Guilt swamped him then for the comments he made when Lupin had been his teacher, and Mahdis took his hand, startling him out of his thoughts.

"It's not your fault. Sometimes, Draco, even the greatest actor gets caught up in the character he plays," she murmured, releasing his hand to brush hair out of the sleeping man's eyes. "We don't have a lot of time. Sirius was his soul... and when that part of you is gone, you do not live."

"So decreed the SOUL," he whispered, thinking back to their History of the Dark Arts lesson the previous week. She nodded.

"We must act thoroughly. And we must act fast. He may not survive the next moon if we don't."

He sighed, kicking at the floor, wondering when his life became so messy. "I've books on the thing he fell through, I think. All my stuff from home was moved into my new room here."

She turned her head, concern causing her brows to knit. "Your Slytherin groupies have been isolating you. You don't eat with the lot of them... you eat alone."

"Ostracized." The word was spoken with distain. "I told them finally what I thought of their precious ideals of ruling the world under Voldie's reign. So I moved out of the dorms and into a secret room in the catacombs below the school."

"And no one knows?"

"No one except the idiots I had been forced to House with, but they find everyone else unworthy when it comes to conversation."

"Ah," Professor Black uttered, turning back to look at Lupin. "You have a Quidditch match tomorrow, no?"

"Against Gryffindor."

"Then get to practice. I'll call for you when I need you."

He nodded briskly and went to leave, but ended up turning around to look at her. She truly was beautiful, and if he was so inclined and maybe a bit older, he could have fallen in love with her, but another was in his heart. "Professor?"

She looked up.

"... Thank you."

And Mahdis smiled.

As Draco scuttled out of the Hospital Wing and hurried off to class, Harry Potter removed his Invisibility Cloak and stared after the boy in shock. It took him almost an hour to stop the trembling of his hands.

____________________________________________________________________

Whenever it rained during a Quidditch match, Harry's heart pounded like thunder in his breast. Not the good pounding, like flying on his broom, but the terrifying prospect of something bad happening. Rain had become a dark omen for him. He couldn't keep his mind on the game, his mind too busy trying to make heads or tails of what he learned from Professor Black and Draco's conversation by the lake and in the Hospital Wing.

With a gasp, he dodged a quaffle that blasted his way, hands slipping on his wet broom stick. He looked up, searching desperately for the Snitch, praying for the game to end soon. He didn't care who won.

A movement to his left caught his eye and he swung his broom around to see it flying at Malfoy. A dementor! No! There were more of them! Too many!

"MALFOY!!"

Draco grabbed his broom stick with one hand, fell so his body hung under the broom, and brought his wand out from his robes. "EXPECTO PATRONUM!!"

A blinding silver mist erupted from his wand, taking the shape of a great creature that spread its wings and repelled the monsters. With every powerful beat of its wings, the Patronus light forced the dementors back until they were far beyond the Quidditch field. The crowds below watched in a mixture of fascination and horror.

Draco swung back onto his broom, wand gripped tightly in his hands. The game had long since stopped. A figure, hooded and cloaked, dropped from the sky. He growled.

"Father."

Lucius Malfoy grinned from behind the cloak and lifted a hand. "CRUCIO!!"

The spell hit Draco like a bullet train, throwing him backward, but he gripped his broom and flew straight into it, fighting. After years of it, he had built up immunity to the pain. Lucius laughed and upped the ante, sending a second wave of the spell at his son, who battled against it with clenched teeth.

Professor Snape was nowhere to be found, already on his way to fetch Dumbledore.

"WITH WHOM DO YOUR LOYALTIES LIE?!"

Draco ground out something, and it obviously wasn't what Lucius wanted to hear. He tripled the amount of pain his son was receiving. Perhaps the combined efforts of humiliation and pain would loosen the boy's tongue to speak the name of their beloved Dark Lord.

"WITH WHOM DO YOUR LOYALTIES LIE?! FOR WHOM WOULD YOU DIE?!"

The boy's blonde head reared up and he screamed out a single name.

"HARRY POTTER!!"

The Cruciatus Curse faltered and Draco blasted for his father, who had gone after Harry. He intercepted his father and a great boom broke the sound barrier.

The downpours tapered into a cold rain, and Lucius gasped in shock. Draco's wand stuck out of his back, stabbed through his chest. His hand was in a similar position, embedded inside his son's belly. Through the pain, Draco managed a smirk.

"I... told you," the boy whispered, and slowly pulled his father's hand from his stomach, bringing forth a fountain of blood. "I fight... for o-one person... and h-his nam-me... is Harry."

"YOU--!"

"-Avis-." A flock of small, white birds burst from Lucius' back, ending his life in a beautiful maelstrom of feathers. Draco watched his father fall to the ground with satisfied eyes, and looked up weakly when Harry flew for him, hovering in shock and helplessness. Draco smiled painfully.

"God," Harry breathed, tears welling in his eyes. "Why did you--"

His words were lost as Draco slid off his broom and fell like a rag doll to the world below.


	5. The Heart Guardian Charm

When tragedy struck Hogwarts, no one was prepared for it. It came without prompt, without reason. The Autumn Equinox brought not the promise of a future freeze and then the rebirthing thaw that comes after, but a sense of death.

And lacking cause, Draco Malfoy gave his life for Harry Potter, but lived. He was easily stabilized; there were no toxins in his system, nothing that could have induced such a confusing phenomena. Well, the hole in his stomach may have done something.

Draco hadn't been truly well-liked, but was fast becoming popular among the Gryffindor students for the heroic act he performed on the Quidditch field. And it was a travesty to see him pale as death, lying prone on a chalky-white hospital bed, a spell forcing air into his lungs rather than taking in blessed wind. His luxurious, shoulder-length hair was splayed in dim tangles on his tough pillow. Known for his love of exotic foods, it was disheartening to see him find nutrients in a drip that shot potassium into his arm.

The man in the bed across from him was in much the same situation. He, too, was comatose, sleeping like the dead, his soul slowly slipping away. The students knew him as Professor Remus Lupin, the best Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher ever. The werewolf. But with the arrival and opening words of their new Defense teacher, Professor Mahdis Black, they had rethought their view on his condition. He was still a man, smart and femininely handsome, that feared the moon.

Visitors came and went, leaving their marks behind in endless oceans of roses, carnations, lilies, and cards that expressed their deepest sympathies and hopes of their awakening. They would stay for hours, coming in groups, holding lifeless hands and talking to them. The silence that answered them could only be described as wrong.

Harry, though, went every night to stare at Draco's blank face, millions of questions racing through his head, thousands of things to say but never said. He felt closer to the boy with each visit.

Draco's outer body had been easily repaired. Madame Pomfrey, however, acknowledged that while his outside could be fixed, the inside had to take time and regenerate with a complex spell as aid. His liver had sustained the most damage and thus would take the most time to heal.

Professor Black would accompany Harry on these midnight journeys to the Hospital Wing, and they would visit both Professor Lupin and Draco. Harry was still warring inside about Draco's true feelings for him. Still guilty about the incident on the Quidditch field and blaming himself. While Mahdis' words of comfort helped, they could not assuage what he felt.

One night, he went alone, creeping through the halls under his Invisibility Cloak, and found Draco sitting up in bed, awake. He was gazing out the windows and into the sky, staring with an ache at the stars. Harry made his way to the bed, sat down, and lowered his head onto Draco's leg. However invisible, the blonde put his hand on the unseeable weight and stroked it silently.

-Reclined amongst these packs of reasons For we'll smoke the days away into the evenings. All these poses of classical torture Ruined my mind like a snake in the orchard-

\----------------------------------------------------------------

The students of Gryffindor jumped in surprise when Professor Black sat down at their table. She smiled disarmingly, reaching for a watercress sandwich, and jerked her head. Draco Malfoy limped slowly over, well aware of every pair of eyes on him, and took a seat, glaring at the table as if it held the secrets of life, tuning out the whispers and sniggering from the Slytherin table. He glanced hesitantly up at the shocked faces of the people he had tormented for years.

"I think you all know Draco Malfoy. Oh, Miss Patil, be a dear and make some room, would you? That's a good girl."

They ate in an awkward silence, all eyes on Draco, who ate his French-Onion soup with the utmost etiquette. Finally, the hush was broken when Professor Black spoke.

"So... any interesting news? I must admit, I don't read the papers."

Lavender Brown looked up. "I, uh, heard a rumor that Sirius Black was innocent."

Harry, seated further down, choked on his tea, back pounded helpfully by Ron. Professor Black smiled an ambiguous smile and bit daintily into her sandwich.

"Oh?"

The girl nodded. "Yeah! The ghosts were talking about it. They say that Black died. They say... They say that's why Professor Lupin went into a coma." Her voice became quieter with every word until it was nearly inaudible.

The Defense instructor smiled. "Is that a fact?"

"Yeah!" Lavender agreed, pleased to please. "They're also saying that some people are trying to bring him back from wherever he died."

Smile bleeding from her face, Professor Black's eyes darkened. "Is... that a fact?"

A slow, hesitant nod. "Yeah."

Draco stirred some sugar into his lemonade and said nothing. Their Defense teacher 'hmmed' absently.

"Well... something about this must be done."

That night, the ghosts of Hogwarts were rather tight-lipped. Even Peeves refused to ruin anyone's mood. And if one happened upon Professor Black, they would find the Defense teacher wearing quite a smug smile.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

"Good morning!" Greeted Professor Black, sweeping into her classroom, dressed in what looked to be a riding crop. The clothes were formal and skintight, knee-high boots heavy but stylish. Her hair still fell past her shoulders, bangs in her golden eyes, cloak secured at her neck with a crescent-moon brooch and fluttering at her feet. She smiled. "Today, our lesson will be taught outside."

The students looked at each other, then down at their books. She brushed their stares off with a wave of her hand.

"Come now! On your feet! Yes, that's right. Excellent. Now, I've the Quidditch field promised to us for today, so we shall have plenty of room to work!"

"Professor," Padma spoke up, hand raised. "What are we doing?"

Professor Black was positively beaming. "Well, I thought we might learn something helpful! This is a time of war, children, and anything you have in your repertoire will be useful. Today, you will be taught the wonders of Animi Curatoris."

"Now," Professor Black began when the class sat in a large circle on the field, leaving their teacher in the center. She took small steps, turning to look at each and every student, as if evaluating them. "This is a very controversial matter, the Animi Curatoris, and only those pure of soul can do it... as corny as that sounds. Think you lot can handle this?"

They nodded silently.

"Good! The Animi Curatoris spell dates back before written records were kept and the spell was passed down orally." A few kids chuckled at the last word, silenced with a glare. "The stories told of a great demi-god king that met his opponent in battle. He was losing, and when it all seemed over, he plucked something inside of him that changed his body. He was suddenly faster, more coordinated, stronger... half of his body was that of a serpent."

Ron sucked in a breath. "So... it's like being an Animagus?"

"Very good question, Mister Weasley. It is similar to the Animagus form one may take, but there are more differences than similarities. One, you do not have to be registered in order to take this form. It comes from your heart, not hours of extensive studying. Two, there are no dangers in this transformation. You may experience some queasiness initially, but the more you practice, the easier it will get."

Susan Bones lifted her hand.

"Yes, Miss Bones?"

"Have you attempted this spell?"

Professor Black smiled. "I, unfortunately, cannot do this." At their surprised faces, her smile broadened into a grin. "You see, my family is a bit strange. One of my parents is an Animagus, and sometimes when you rely on it too long, your Animagus becomes a part of you. Due to this condition, I am an Animagus by blood. I can change at will. But, since I already become something from the heart and soul, I cannot create a Curatoris form of my own."

They stared blankly. Harry thought of her Animagus parent and a pang of guilt struck him.

"Think of it like this: I already take one form, so I can't take another. You can't have both."

"Oh," the students chorused. She nodded.

"Very well, then. Let's see... Miss Granger? Come forward, please. You will be the, well, the guinea pig, to coin a Muggle phrase." She drew Hermione into the center of the circle, placing her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Now, Miss Granger. Hermione. I want you to close your eyes-- yes, close them now, there's a girl-- and picture the one thing that makes you happy. It can be a memory, a book you've read, a person you fancy... Ah, by the flush in your cheeks, I think I've hit the nail on the head."

A few kids snickered when their teacher threw a sly look at Ron.

"Wrap your heart around that image, Hermione, and repeat after me: Animi Curatorum!"

Hermione gripped her chest. "Animi Curatorum!"

The girl's eyes snapped open, and her pupils shrank into slits. Her body seemed to ripple and she looked as if she would be sick, until her skin was purged of its imperfections and impurities. When the transformation was complete, a long whip-like tail thrashed behind her, sharp eyes staring in awe at her hands. Professor Black smiled proudly.

"Well done! On the first try, too! How do you feel, Hermione?"

"L-Like... I could jump eight feet into the air."

"Why don't you give it a try?"

Hermione gave her a nervous stare, swallowed, and launched herself across the field. She flew over the shocked heads of her peers and landed perhaps twenty feet away from them. Professor Black applauded with a grin.

"Well done, Hermione! Who would like to give it a whirl next?"

Every hand went up.

"Hmm... Yes, Miss Parkinson. Please stand, won't you?"

From his seat on the grass, Draco watched her with barely-veiled hatred. She smirked at him, her right wrist sliding a bit out of her sleeve to reveal the beginnings of a black skull, and turned to smile prettily at her professor. Who did not look amused.

"Miss Parkinson? Same procedure. Think of a happy something and say the words, "Animi Curatorum"."

"Animi Curatorum!"

Pansy waited for the change, as did the rest of the class.

And waited.

And waited.

And for a change of pace, she waited some more.

Nothing happened.

Professor Black tutted to herself. "Well, give it another go, Miss Parkinson. One more try."

"ANIMI CURATORUM!!"

Nothing.

"ANIMI CURATORUM!!"

The class sat back and watched as Pansy growled, screamed, and whined the charm into the air. Their instructor finally put a hand on Pansy's arm and pasted on a smile.

"Yes, well, thank you, Miss Parkinson. And although we know the twenty-third time is a charm, please sit down. Apparently, you aren't of a pure soul, so this won't work for you."

Draco snorted, but wisely kept from saying anything.

"What?!" Pansy demanded angrily, clenching her hands into fists. "You know what? I think you put a spell on me to keep it from working! You stupid whore!"

Pansy found herself on the wrong end of a wand, and Professor Black regarded her from over it with a cool smile.

"Whore, am I? Well, you now earned yourself a month's detention. And Professor Snape has kindly offered to cater to any students that have found themselves in similar situations. For the next thirty-one days, you'll be perfecting your cauldron-scrubbing techniques."

The Slytherin flushed hotly and looked away. The other students pressed their lips together to prevent laughter from erupting. Pansy sat down and Professor Black asked Dean Thomas to give the charm a try.

Harry stood to take his turn after Dean, shivering uncontrollably after saying the words until his legs thinned and two more grew. He stood on four deer-like legs and majestic horns pushed out toward the sky from his hair. Professor Black grinned.

"Quite like your father, Mister Potter. A stag suits you well."

Ron spoke the words and grew six more eyes to add to his own. The students laughed as he fretted about becoming the thing he hated most.

"Ah, Mister Weasley, you can now climb walls. Fascinating."

The rest of the class went, laughing as girls grew fangs and extra limbs and boys grew tails and additional facial features. When it came to the last one to go, Draco shied away, sighing at the faces of the few first that were finally accepting him. Warily. Ron still refused to.

"Professor Black... I can't."

"Why not?"

He toed the ground angrily. "I'm... I'm afraid that I'm not... pure enough to attempt this."

She smiled gently, wrapped an arm around his shoulders, and squeezed his arm reassuringly. "Now, Mister Malfoy, will you tell me what makes you happier than anything in the world."

He glared. "That's no business of yours."

"Fair enough. Picture that thing for me, would you?"

Another sigh gusting past his lips, Draco closed his eyes and thought of tanned skin from too many hours of Quidditch, an infectious smile, and a knack for getting into trouble. He combined all the images and thoughts into one and, in his mind's eye, a rather famous wizard was smiling. For him.

"Very good, Draco."

All eyes were on him. He could feel it, even when he couldn't see.

"Say the words."

"It won't work," he protested softly.

"Say them."

"Professor..."

"Humor me, then, Draco."

"... Animi... Curatorum."

First there was nothing. Then, there was everything.

Draco arched his back with a pained groan and the back of his robes jettisoned away from him until two large, black wings broke through the fabric and stretched into the sky. He could feel himself being lifted, without the aid of a broom or a simple spell. This came from his own body, his own heart. He opened his eyes and his wings and caught a thermal, soaring higher, and he laughed despite himself. With a mighty flap, he took off, flying away from the Quidditch Field and out into the mountains, screaming in elation.

The students all stood, watching him with awe, and Professor Black smiled brightly. Harry went to her side.

"I don't... get it."

"Oh, Harry. Sometimes, love gives you wings." She turned to walk away, but stopped. "Meet me in my chambers tonight. And don't tell anyone... come alone."

He nodded dumbly at her retreating form, and his eyes drifted back to the sky where a black speck against the clouds was somersaulting across the deep blue. He looked a bit to the right where he could see the faded disfigured moon.

It would be full in three days.

They had three days left.

Remus had three days left.

And the clock was ticking.


	6. The Ministry and the Death Chamber

"Harry, you're falling asleep in your food!" Hermione exclaimed, shaking her friend's shoulder. He mumbled and lifted his head, blinking blearily at her. Heavy shadows hung under his eyes and he yawned.

"Mm... Sorry, 'Mione. I've... I haven't been getting much sleep lately."

She gave him a piercing look, eyes traveling over to where their newest addition to their table, Draco, was. The boy's head was pillowed on his arms, face peaceful as he slept. Small huffs of what could have been snores passed through his lips. Unfortunately, his head sunk through his arms and thudded against the table. He didn't have the energy to rub the sore spot, only muttered 'Ow' and fell back to sleep. Hermione gazed at the woman that sat next to Draco, who didn't appear to be faring any better. Professor Black stirred her tea and half-listened to Lavender's animated tale over a slumber party she once went to. The tea had been stirred steadily for the last hour; Hermione was surprised that it hadn't become cream.

"Harry, I know you're up to something," Hermione growled, and Harry began to snore deliberately. She rolled her eyes. "Fine. But don't think for one minute that I won't find out. Because I will."

He didn't argue. It wouldn't be the first time.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

After the lesson of the Animi Curatoris charm, the students were eager to find what was in store for their class. They were quite disappointed to walk in and see Professor Black standing at her desk, eyes barely open. She smiled weakly. Professor Dumbledore was seated in her chair, smiling disarmingly at the kids.

"Sorry, children, but nothing too exciting today. Just an essay."

They groaned.

"Eighteen inches on possible uses for the Curatoris charm. Since you all got your fill of it, you may include a brief summation of what your Curatoris is and why you think it is what it is. I, however, am leaving you in the capable hands of Professor Dumbledore, who has so graciously volunteered to watch you. I must run a few errands. Your essays are due next class; don't goof off. Get it done here and you have no homework." She turned to Dumbledore and yawned. "Thank you again, Headmaster. I'm sorry to trouble you like this."

His eyes twinkled. "Not at all, Professor Black. Though I must admit, you're much more amiable when you miss a week of sleep."

Professor Black gave him a withering glare and left the room, ruffling the hair of a few people as she went. Dumbledore smiled at the students. Twenty seconds later she came bursting back inside. She pointed to Draco and Harry. "Malfoy. Potter. You are to come with me."

They stood and gathered their things, following her out. Dumbledore turned to the class.

"Lemon Drops, anyone?"

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

"Professor...?" Harry began uncertainly as they made their way through Diagon Alley, trying to keep up with the speed her long legs set. Draco had no problem keeping pace with her, gliding along as if he were on ice. The blonde pulled his hood over his head, shielding his ears from the autumn cold, and said nothing. This perpetual silence of the usually out-spoken Malfoy was unnerving. Harry had a great urge to grab him by the brooch of his cloak, shake him, and demand to be insulted. Instead, he huffed indignantly, glancing at the taller boy. That was another irritating factor to take into account: Malfoy's sudden growth spurt. He cursed Malfoy for being so suddenly tall, polite, and quiet, and so damn beautiful. Didn't he tan? Didn't he realize he looked like an ice sculpture, making him even more desirable? Untouchable.

Harry wanted to punch something. Another glance had him looking at Draco's profile, half-hidden by his hood. Was that-- it was! That shit-eating smirk! Draco knew he was being watched! Harry couldn't help but grin. The little bastard. Correction: the bastard.

"Boys, wait outside for a moment, would you? I need to pick up a few things."

Draco looked up at the store and frowned. "It's a butcher's shop."

"Draco?" Professor Black inquired sweetly. "Do recall our ritual and what it calls for."

Staring at his teacher and then at Draco, Harry tilted his head to the side. Draco knew what was in store for them? The blonde nodded and gestured to the door mockingly with a sweep of his arm. Professor Black snickered and stepped inside, disappearing to the front desk in the back of the store. Draco yawned and leaned against the store, arms crossed over his chest, and stared straight ahead. Harry bit his lip and sat on the ground next to the taller boy's feet. They waited for their professor in an awkward silence. Harry finally broke the hush with a rather abrupt question.

"Why are you helping her?" He hadn't meant to blurt such a thing out, but of all the questions that had created galaxies in his head, that had been the most predominant. Draco gazed down at him, eyes shadowed by the hood, causing them to swirl with storms.

"Because I was asked to." The blonde's voice was void of emotion and Harry winced.

"Well... yeah... But this involves me, too. I figured you'd be the last person to jump up and volunteer to help. You bloody hate me, Malfoy!"

Draco couldn't help but let a small, almost sad smile grace his lips, and Harry's brows beetled. "I don't 'bloody hate you', Potter."

"But--" Harry was interrupted by Professor Black emerging from the store, a large bag in her arms. She smiled beguilingly at them, and Harry couldn't have felt more disappointed.

"Come now, Harry, what's that look for? Just think: after tonight, you'll be able to get a proper night's sleep. You'll need it. I've been hearing that you're not quite up to par during Quidditch practices."

His eyes widened in surprise behind his frames. "Who said that?! I've been playing just bloody fine!"

She laughed and -- he couldn't believe this -- skipped away, Draco pushing off the wall and following with a smile on his face. Harry stomped after them.

"I've been playing FINE!!"

"Have you been distracted, Potter?"

"Shut up, Malfoy! I'll show you distracted during the next match! And no interruptions this time!"

"Keep dreaming, Potter."

"Get bent, Malfoy!"

"Even if that was the case, it wouldn't be me."

Harry frowned at that. "What?" He tried to process, and then blushed. "Shut up!"

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

Professor Black gazed up at the red telephone booth with an enigmatic smile, too cheerful for someone lacking a week's sleep. She then turned to both Harry and Draco, placed her bag of items on the ground, and brought out her wand.

"I realize that this will be terribly odd, but bear with me until we get to the Department of Mysteries." She muttered a shrinking spell and the two boys shrank until they were about the height of a tea light. With a smile at their outraged, tiny cries, she placed them in the breast pocket of her robes. "Now, behave. And keep quiet."

She stepped inside the phone booth and closed the door behind her, turning her back to the shabby alley and the graffiti-covered wall. With deft fingers, she punched in 62442, and waited. Finally, the Welcome Witch's voice reverberated through the air.

"State your name and business, please."

Professor Black smiled. "My name is Seraphim Lerraine and I'm here on behalf of the Mother Moon, Artemis. You see, the Lady Moon is in quite a catch-22 and needs me to visit the Department of Mysteries for her. I can give you proper verification if you would like."

"Admission granted. The Ministry of Magic wishes you a pleasant day."

She smirked. To say that the Ministry of Magic was in shambles was, at the very least, a great understatement. "My thanks." She took the silver badge with SERAPHIM LERRAINE written on it, grin widening when she took in the seal of the Lady Moon beneath it. Business for the gods was unquestionable. She wouldn't have trouble getting inside. Withdrawing her wand as she waited for the telephone box to drop down, she tapped her hair and swept it into a professional twist. The box fell away and Professor Black stepped into the Atrium.

As she passed through the Atrium, pretending to admire the golden statues, she came upon Eric Munich. Smiling enchantingly at him, she handed over her wand.

"H-How are you, madam?"

"Oh, abso-bloody-lutely knackered. The Lady Moon never tires, you know, and has become so demanding, what with..." She lowered her voice to a stage whisper. "You-Know-Who's return, and all."

Eric nodded as he registered her wand. She gave him another dazzling smile and he blushed. With a flick of her wrist, she handed him a piece of parchment.

"Do see that this gets to the higher authority. I cannot be disturbed, you see. It's very important."

"Will do. Good luck."

She winked and turned to walk down the hallway leading to the lifts, her high heels clacking and echoing. Eyes skimming each elevator, she finally took the lift to Level Nine, waiting patiently until it reached her designated floor. This was going smoother than she ever would have thought. Perhaps Voldemort's attack on the Ministry proved useful. Her hand slid up to fist against her stomach, holding out a finger to tap against her breast pocket, startling the two inside. She smiled at their cries of protest and sniffed at the air. There were three guards at the black door at the end of the dark hallway. They stiffened, wary, as she drew near. She gave that smile of hers and they relaxed briefly.

"Who are you and state your business."

Her eyes went wide, dismayed, and she put a hand to her head, her other arm holding her large bag of supplies. "Don't tell me that you weren't notified of my arrival."

The second Auror frowned. "And you are...?"

She kept going. "I specifically told Mister Fudge to tell anyone around that I was coming." She gave them a hopeless look. "He didn't tell you, did he? That little weasel..."

The first Auror exhaled. "He knows you're here?"

"Well, of course he does! After the incident here he wouldn't let just anyone in, now would he?"

"Well, then who are you?" The third Auror demanded, and she reached up to seemingly caress the air. A symbol woven by light was created by her fingers, representing a crescent moon half-hidden by a quiver. The insignia for Artemis. The three Aurors gasped and bowed. "A priestess!"

She stifled a snort. "I'm here to try and gather any residue left by... You-Know-Who. The Lady Moon wishes to help in any way She can."

"Really?!" Their eyes were shining, as if they wanted to poke her to make sure she was authentic. She nodded, lips curled into a slightly- disturbed smile.

"Uh, yes, really. Now, gentlemen, is there anything else you need?"

"No, not at all! We're sorry for the inconvenience," the second Auror said, and she winked, stepping inside. She shut the door behind her and walked slowly inside. A great many doors stared back at her. Sniffing the air, she followed her nose to a door and opened it. The archway greeted her, the bottom of the Veil rustling softly. Stepping through the portal, she shut the door and bent to place her bag on the floor. She jarred the two in her breast pocket, causing them to fall out into her hand. They were placed by the bag and, when she uttered the counter spell, they grew to their original sizes.

"You're evil," Harry growled, brushing himself off. Professor Black smiled.

"You're not the first to tell me so."

Draco said nothing, attention completely fixated on the shadowed curtain. It pulled at something inside, drew him to it. He unconsciously began taking steps toward it, eyes unfocused and mouth parted. His breath solidified into little puffs of white, dissipating moments after touching air. A hand fell on his shoulder, halting him, and he blinked awake, staring down at Professor Black. She smiled.

"Keep your mind on task, Draco. The Veil has... interesting qualities. What did you see?"

He blinked again, shoulders slumping. "I saw... freedom."

"Of course. The Veil represents the ultimate freedom: death. So, do us a favor, Draco, and DON'T allow yourself to be pulled." Professor Black walked briskly back to her bag of items, fished out two containers, and tossed one to Harry. "Pour it all over yourself, Harry."

Green eyes peered suspiciously over glass frames. "What is it?"

"Blood."

Harry yelped and began juggling the container like it was a hot piece of coal. She smiled at his antics and Draco was busy rummaging through the bag, making a triumphant noise when he came up with a ball of red string. He began unraveling it, tying the thread around his waist and around his arms to hold it in his hand. Professor Black took the ball of string and began walking backwards, unraveling more, before tying it around the palm of her hand and each of her fingers. She then handed it to Harry.

"Tie it around you, Harry. It's your link to reality."

"Why red?"

Draco rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Potter. Haven't you heard of the Red String of Fate?"

Silence. The blonde groaned and looked apologetically at Professor Black.

"Sorry, Professor, but you're never coming back."

"OI!"

"Harry! Am I talking to myself? Make use of that blood!"

"But why blood?"

Professor Black pressed her fingers to her sinuses. "Blood represents life. The Veil represents death. Which one will be of use, do you think?"

Silence. She nodded.

"I thought so. Pour the blood over you." She uncapped her container and let the crimson wash over her, soaking into her hair and robes, splashing onto her pale skin, dripping into her face. She looked every part the priestess, undergoing a sacrifice for her beloved god. "Harry, for Merlin's sake, stop catching flies and do your bloody job!"

Harry up-ended the container with a grimace, shivering as the cold blood hit his skin. Draco's eyes darkened.

"All right. Now, Draco will be acting as our anchor. He will be the one to open the link and break it. If anyone should sever our connection, he'll be acting as our safeguard. No one's getting past him."

Draco nodded in agreement. "The red string represents our physical link. The true link is the magic infused in it; don't let go of it or drop it. You won't come back."

Professor Black turned to Harry. "Once we get inside the Veil, expect anything. Just remember why we're there. This is the first attempt of breeching the Veil with the intention of returning. Keep Sirius in your mind: that is your objective. He's been in there for a prolonged period of time, so he might not remember anything. We have to make him remember, or else he comes out with no memory, and once we're out we can't fix that."

"No pressure," Harry snorted, and the other two smiled.

"I think you can handle this one, Potter."

"Let's go."

Harry and Professor Black went to stand in front of the Veil, and Professor Black placed a hand on the curtain, closing her eyes. The Red String of Fate touched it and began to glow. Suddenly, the air became unbearably hot and cold simultaneously, the world blinding, and through the haze Harry was able to hear a voice.

"From darkness we are born to light;

In light we bear joy and sorrow;

To which we bear memories.

May the gods above be kind to man,

For they are orphans of time.

And, O gods, be gentle to me,

For I am an infant again;

Newborn into darkness.

For I am the past,

And also the future.

For while I am life,

I must also be death."

And then there was nothing.


	7. Beyond the Veil

"...ry..."

He stirred painfully in response to the hand shaking him.

"Harry..."

Emerald eyes cracked behind glass and Harry pulled himself into a sitting position, wincing as the bones in his spine popped. Professor Black was kneeling at his side, helping to steady him, and he gazed around, vision clearing.

"I don't know whether to be incredibly relieved or sorely disappointed."

They were beyond the Veil, sitting on a hill, overlooking a plain; a perpetual gray plain that stretched off into a cloudless gray horizon. Death appeared to be rather... boring. Professor Black helped him to his feet and Harry then straightened his glasses and stood tall, gazing off to where the gray land met the gray sky. There was even a gray wind blowing.

"Professor? If you say anything about doing things in 'shades of gray', I'll murder you."

She only smiled cheerfully. "Well! We have an awful lot of ground to cover, so I'd say we best move on!"

"... What the hell do you put in your coffee and can I have some?" He watched her skip away, down the hill. With a sigh, Harry followed, frowning as random spurts of ice brushed against him. Almost... as if people were pushing past. "Professor?"

"Take off your glasses, Harry!" She called over her shoulder, and he hesitantly complied. Suddenly, the empty wasteland of the Veil was full of people. People muttering and wandering aimlessly. There were hundreds of them, thousands.

"Who... who are they?"

Professor Black meandered her way through the bodies back to Harry's side. "They're the people that are beyond the living. The Veil is one of many doors to the Afterlife."

"Then... my parents are here?"

"Yes. They could be."

They walked in silence, the air heavy with the buzzing sounds of souls murmuring under their breath. Upon reaching the edge of the land that met the horizon, Harry realized it was another hill. Only this time, there were no wandering souls below. There was nothing except a perfectly oval lake that reflected the gray sky. It took a while to reach it, but when they did, they stared into it, at their reflections. Each saw something different.

They stood in silence for a long time.

"They knew," Harry finally said, eyes wide. "Mom and Dad... they knew that Pettigrew was the traitor."

Professor Black said nothing, completely fixated on the pond. A tear leaked from her eye, falling into the water, creating ripples that distorted their images. "It's such a funny thing, death. So unpredictable, beautiful and cruel at the same time."

Harry turned his head. "What do you see?"

"... The day Grandfather Albus died for me."

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

"Oh, Albus... He's..."

"I know, Minerva. I feel that something extraordinary is going to happen."

"Remus is... The moon will be rising soon, Albus."

"Patience, Minerva. Patience. I have a feeling that everything will be all right this time."

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

"The Dark Lord discovered my parentage, of how I came to be. He wanted the Goddess' mark, the one I carry, for his own. He wanted Her power. One night, at an Order meeting, he attacked. Ready to take my blood by force, Voldemort told me that the child of the dark should accept her fate and be blessed that he went through all the trouble of finding me. The members of the Order, even my own parents, couldn't do anything. Papa still hates himself for it. And then... Grandfather Albus stepped in."

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

"PROFESSOR!!"

"Ah, Severus. Please keep your voice do-"

"The Ministry is here, demanding Draco Malfoy."

"On what charge?"

"Murder."

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

"He died fighting for my life... Voldemort fought dirty... and in the end, it was the Killing Curse that finished him. Such a coward, the Dark Lord. Remember that, Harry. Voldemort, Tom Riddle, is nothing but a coward."

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

"They are not here, Severus."

"Where--"

"We must hold them back for a while longer, I'm afraid. Until the moon rises."

"... She didn't..."

"Severus--"

"SHE DIDN'T!!"

"SEVERUS!! Go and stall them. For as long as you possibly can. They need all the time we can spare them."

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

Professor Black lifted her head and paused. "We must hurry. Something is stirring in the Living World."

Harry nodded and they ran past the lake, feet pounding on the gray grass. The woman to his left lifted a hand in front of her, as if pantomiming 'HALT', and closed her eyes. After a few seconds, she picked up the pace.

"I can feel a trickle of his magic. He's not too far."

"Sirius?"

Her reply was lost as a great, black wind slammed into them, tearing them away from each other.

-Harry... Potter...-

The world suddenly grew hot, unbearably so, and he cried out as his skin began to sear. Everything was suddenly distorted, black clouding the edges of his vision. The sky bled crimson, huge droplets of blood hitting the grass and killing it. All died at the first touch of this red. A huge globule of the crimson killer dropped straight for Harry, and he threw his arms over his head and screamed.

"FINITE INCANTATUM!!"

Blessed cool wrapped around him in the form of great wings, enveloping him away from the heat. He was lowered to the gray ground softly, as if he was a newborn and was being put down for the night, and he opened his eyes as the wings unfurled from around him. The barest whisper of platinum blonde hair brushed his cheek and he sighed.

-Malfoy... No... Draco...-

"HARRY!!" Professor Black was rushing to his side, cloak and robes billowing behind her. She knelt and helped him to stand. A single white feather slipped from his hair and floated softly to the grass, stark white blinding against the gray.

"What happened to me?" Harry whispered without taking his eyes off the feather.

"I have no idea," Professor Black told him. "But we must be careful. The Veil will take anyone living that speaks the name of the one they lost. We are standing on a ground that we aren't meant to stand on yet. We can't speak his name until we find him."

"Oh, I always thought that was a silly rule," came a voice behind them, and Professor Black looked over Harry's shoulder while he turned. They both gasped.

"Greetings from the dead," James Potter said cheerfully, sauntering over. He stopped in front of Harry, whose eyes were rather glassy, and smiled. He looked then at his son's hair and winced. "I suppose a simple 'I'm sorry' won't suffice, eh?"

James had an armful of Harry a split second after he spoke. Professor Black smiled.

"Harry... look at you, m'boy. All grown up."

The boy sobbed into his father shoulder, winning a pat on his own. James beamed and straightened out his glasses. He pulled away from Harry to get a good look at the son he never got to watch grow up.

"How are you, Harry?"

"O-okay, I guess..." What was he to say to the father he hadn't seen in over fifteen years?

"Play Quidditch?"

"I'm Seeker for Gryffindor."

James slapped him on the back, laughing proudly. "That's my boy!" He turned his head and regarded the black-haired woman that stood off to the side, watching them with warm eyes and a bright smile. "And you are?"

"Your great goddaughter."

He blinked. "What?"

She bowed her head. "Mahdis Lupin-Black. It's an honor to finally meet the leader of the Marauders."

"L-Lupin-Black?! They--"

"Are still together," Professor Black finished with a wink. "Even through all the suspicion, through the trials, through the heartache."

"Merlin bless them."

She smiled. "Actually, we're here for a dear friend of yours. If you could point me in the right direction, I can allow you and your son a brief reunion."

"Ah." James pointed from the direction in which he had come. "Padfoot's over there. Lil's trying to talk some sense into him."

Harry's eyes went, if possible, wider. "Mom?"

"Thanks," Professor Black uttered, running to find her father, using his magic as her guide. She heard a feminine voice and slowed to a brisk walk, approaching cautiously the forms of Lily Potter and a large black dog. Professor Black let out a relieved breath. "Er, 'scuse me!"

Lily looked up from the dog, fiery hair falling about her shoulders. She squinted. "You remind me of someone... Those eyes... They're--"

"Remus Lupin's, I know," the girl laughed, glancing surreptitiously at the dog, hoping for a reaction at the name. There was nothing. The dog blinked up at her curiously and she reached down to pat him on the head. It was an awkward gesture. "So... It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"The pleasure's all mine. Perhaps, since you're Remus' daughter, you can talk some sense into this crazy mutt."

"Way ahead of you," Professor Black murmured, eyes closing as she let change overtake her body. Lily watched, fascinated and intimidated, as the lovely girl became a beautiful creature. Upon looking closer, she realized that said creature was a cross between a white wolf and a black dog.

"Well then... Professor Lupin-Black, is it?"

The wolf-dog barked and wagged her tail.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

"So... Voldemort's risen, eh?"

Harry nodded, staring up at the gray sky. He and his father were lying back on the grass, looking up and talking. Harry found it rather difficult to squeeze sixteen years of events and stories into a brief reunion. But, the more they talked and discussed things, the more relaxed he became. He knew that once he left life wouldn't be the same. Maybe, after all was said and done, he could take a second trip to the Veil...

"Have a girlfriend, Harry?"

Now that was a subject he didn't want to touch. After his breakup with Cho and Sirius' death, he hadn't really paid thought to having a girlfriend. Now, with this newly-changed Draco, he wasn't sure that he wanted one. It was becoming rather hard to picture girls, soft and curvaceous, when muscles, platinum blonde hair, and white wings were coming to mind instead.

"Er... Not... at the moment, no."

"But there's someone."

Damn everyone for not telling him how observant his dad had been.

Harry blushed and stared resolutely at the sky. "I'm... not entirely sure, actually. It's complicated."

"Try me."

"Well, we met first year and hit it off... less than stellar, you see... and went up until fifth year hating each other. And now... now, everything's changed."

James snorted, sitting up with a groan, muttering something that sounded like, "just like me and your mother." He stretched his arms. "Well, my boy, I don't know what to tell you, except: go for it. You never know what might happen. Look at me and your mom! We despised each other for almost four years before we got our act together!"

Harry slowly smiled at the sky. Things might actually be okay.

"It could be worse, Harry. They could be in Slytherin."

Then again.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

The wolf-dog whined low in her throat at the black dog and nuzzled it encouragingly. Her white tail with the black tip wagged, pointed black-tipped ears twitching. With a hesitant air, the black dog grew into a handsome man with long black hair. He gazed blankly at the wolf-dog, staring in shock as it morphed into a woman. The woman blinked.

"Why do you look so sad?"

Sirius shook his head gently, confused, fixated on her face. "I don't know." The words were soft, almost inaudible. "I see your eyes and know I'm forgetting something important."

She smiled, glancing at Lily, who returned the action. "How do you figure?"

"Because your eyes make my heart ache, like I'm missing something... or someone."

"Well, if you can't remember that... I suppose we'll have to begin a different way. Your name is Sirius Black, and you were born..."

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry broke off in mid sentence, feeling as if he had been punched in the gut. James grasped his son's shoulder, eyes wide.

"Harry...!"

Blood began to trickle from Harry's nose. And a horrible pain struck his belly. He coughed harshly, crimson flecking against the gray grass.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

Professor Black paused, and then gasped, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. "Draco."

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

"Albus! The moon!"

"... He hasn't taken the Wolfsbane Potion this month..."

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

The sky began to rain blood, killing the gray grass and staining the ground. Lily helped Professor Black to her feet and Sirius got to his own, looking around wildly. The world began to quake, the plains splitting to reveal bottomless Hells beneath them. Harry and James ran to them, James pulling his wife and son into his arms. Lily wrapped her own around their boy, whispering into his hair.

"Sirius!" Professor Black cried, gripping his arms. "You have to remember now! The one thing you miss the most! Who is it?!"

"It's... a person..."

"Hurry!"

The sky began to crack.

"Another time, Harry," Lily murmured, and Harry clutched at his parents. "We will meet again, love. Another time."

"A person with a secret..." Sirius gripped at Professor Black, staring down at her. "A person with your eyes! With scars and moonlight on his skin... so beautiful and alone... someone I love more than anything in the world."

"PLEASE!!"

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

Remus arched off the bed, eyes snapping open, unseeing, as moonlight washed into the room like a tidal wave.

"SIRIUS!!"

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

"REMUS!!"

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

The moon burned brighter than it ever had before.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

And the sky shattered.


	8. The Pensieve

When Remus awoke, he turned his head and gazed at the tables surrounding the bed he lay on. Flowers, cards, and stuffed toys had littered the space around him, all from worried students and staff, praying he rose to see another sunrise. A weak smile spread across his face, disappearing with a grimace as he realized his pillow was very flat. His head had sunk right to the mattress. How long had he been lying there? The last thing he could remember was throwing things around in Grimmauld Place, screaming at Kreacher until his throat was raw, hurtling glass things at Mrs. Black's portrait and laughing when they shattered against her face... slipping into the seductive arms of darkness...

Golden eyes began to sting and he closed them, the sound of his name proclaimed in the voice of his lover resonating in his head. What a cruel jester Morpheus was. Remus had the urge to seek out the dream god's cave and kill off the poppy that surrounded his black bed.

He hated to be reminded of Sirius' death. He longed for the day when the wolf would relinquish his hold on life and slip peacefully away to be reunited with his mated. After all, the mate left behind never lasted long after the death of their other half. But then, how could he lay claim to the man when he had never said the words? He had always expected Sirius to understand how he felt... he never assuaged the Animagus' fears, never took the final step and announce that they were permanent. That they were for life.

Never thought of it until it was too late.

"REMUS J. LUPIN!!"

He flinched. Madame Pomfrey was the last person he needed to encounter at that moment.

"I have orders from the Headmaster to get you out of bed and into the Great Hall for some food. You're entirely too skinny to go on as you are now!"

"Would you be offended if I told you to 'sod off'?"

"GET UP NOW!!"

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

The Great Hall was buzzing with the latest rumors that circulated through Hogwarts. Draco had been arrested and put into Azkaban, Harry Potter was dead, Professor Black killed them both, and Professor Lupin turned into a wolf and ate Madame Pomfrey... All were preposterous. Remus stepped inside and went to sit down at the Teacher's table when a great cheer went up from the Gryffindor table. The students called and squealed his name, beckoning for him to come. He smiled and limped over, blushing at the whistles and joyous whooping.

"PROFESSOR! You're back!"

"Ah, and it's nice to see you again Mister Weasley."

"Professor Lupin! How are you feeling?"

"Just fine, Miss Frobisher."

The Gryffindors vied for his attention and he laughed warmly, trying to greet everyone and remember names. The large smile on his face made him look ten years younger; the effect caused many of the girls to turn red.

As students from the other tables came over to greet him, the main doors to the Great Hall burst open. A silhouette stood in the threshold, watching, and Remus turned to look, smile slowly fading. The children fell silent.

The man in the doorway grinned and tears welled up in the werewolf's eyes. Long, black hair flowed behind him as the man sauntered into the Hall, one arm akimbo, and glanced at each table. "Sorry I'm late... I was never good with being punctual." He stopped and regarded his audience. Snape, at the Teacher's table, looked like he had swallowed a bucket of centipedes. "And well, fifteen years later, here I am -- with the Ministry's Pardon, as well!" He lifted up a parchment and waved it around, still grinning.

Remus stood, trembling. The man smiled and one of the girls gasped.

"S-Sirius Black...!"

"No hug, Moony?" Sirius inquired, opening his arms with a laugh. "I'm beyond hurt, you know."

Without another second wasted, Remus pushed his way through the students and took off at a limping-run to the black-haired man that waited for him. It couldn't be real. People didn't come back from the Veil; it was a fact of life. But there he was, alive and smiling. Still wanting Remus. Tears flew from the corners of his eyes, glistening in the light of the Great Hall like floating diamonds, and he jumped into Sirius' arms, wrapping his legs around the taller man's waist and his arms around his neck. The Animagus hooked an arm under Remus' bottom, the other held against the werewolf's back, hand cupping the back of his head. Lips met and parted, tongues touched and delved, relearning taste and territory. Laughter was shared through mingled breath, incoherent words were muttered and whispered against lips and cheeks and eyelids. Two souls, parted for so long, reunited. Padfoot and Moony rejoiced silently inside, nuzzling and nipping in incomparable bliss.

Applause erupted like thunder, joyous cries echoing off the walls.

Remus laughed against Sirius' mouth, cupping the long-haired man's face with both hands, rubbing his nose against Sirius' lovingly.

"I love you, Sirius. So much."

"I've always known, Moony. I love you." Sirius positively glowed and he pressed their foreheads together. "Lovely, loopy Lupin."

"FOR THE LOVE OF MERLIN, CAN'T I EAT MY BREAKFAST WITHOUT THE CONVICT AND HIS WOLF-PET ALL BUT BUGGERING RIGHT HERE?!"

Snape went unnoticed. Sirius lifted his head, secured his hold on Remus, and took his mouth again.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

"When will the Ministry be here?" Professor Black inquired pleasantly, ignoring the fact that her hands were bound behind the chair she sat in. Dumbledore popped a Bertie Bott's Every Flavored Bean into his mouth and grimaced. Bogey-flavored. A spell had Professor Black's teacup floating in midair, turning slightly so she could take a sip, and then drifting gently back onto its saucer. The magic wrapped tightly around her wrists was cutting off the circulation. She smiled benignly.

"When they're finished interrogating Mister Malfoy, I would imagine."

Her eyes narrowed, but her smile stayed. "They can't charge him with anything."

"Oh?"

"He killed Lucius in self-defense. There are about a hundred witnesses that can testify to that. Plus, he never once used an Unforgivable against his father; it was the other way around."

Dumbledore sighed, steepling his fingers. "But you, on the other hand..."

"Have done the Marauders proud," Professor Black crowed with a pleased grin. "Speaking of which, how is Harry? Is he handling things?"

"I suppose so... but you can imagine how heartbroken he is to have found his parents and then have them taken from him."

She nodded, eyes averting to a crumb on the floor. She could remember singing that same tune once upon a time. With a resolute breath, her golden eyes lifted. "Headmaster, I have a request."

He gazed steadily at her.

"I've created a Pensieve. I want the students to understand what this war will create."

"But there are so many stud-" He was cut off with a curt shake of her head.

"Not that kind of Pensieve."

They fell silent, regarding each other for a moment, before Fudge burst into the Headmaster's office.

"Draco Malfoy has been cleared of all charges." He didn't sound too thrilled, especially at the prospect of not being paid. "He's even getting an Award of Merit for catching Peter Pettigrew. Sirius Black is also free... but Mahdis Black is another matter, charged with endangering two minors-- one of them the son of a predominant pureblood family, the other the bloody BOY WHO LIVED-- breaking dozens of laws set by the Ministry, breaking the code set down by the Wiccans... need I go on?"

She shook her head, smiling. "No. I know exactly what I did. Shall we go, then? I'd hate to think that Azkaban's waiting for me."

Fudge growled. "You laugh in spite of your execution."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from the Minister of Magic."

Dumbledore disguised a chuckle as a cough.

"Oh, and Professor?" Mahdis called as Fudge marched her toward the door, her wand clenched in his hand. She looked over her shoulder and winked. "Break it to them... gently." And she was gone.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

"WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN, "PROFESSOR BLACK'S BEING PUT TO DEATH"?!" Draco shouted, standing up at the Gryffindor table and slamming his fist against it, reopening a stitched wound. Harry stood, as well, anger flaring in his eyes.

"That's absurd, Headmaster!" Harry exclaimed. "Professor Black's done nothing wrong!"

Draco nodded in emphasis, bruises and healing injuries stark against his pale skin. They made the students cringe. Madame Pomfrey had been absolutely livid when Draco had refused her treatment after Peter Pettigrew had tried to end his life and the link he held to Harry and Professor Black in the Veil. Pettigrew had come with some very interesting and new tricks and spells up his sleeves, damn near beating Draco within an inch of his life when the Malfoy heir refused to relinquish the link to the Veil, and Draco retaliated with a simple Stupefy charm, followed by a mighty Petrificus Totalus, effectively stopping the Animagus. The Headmaster, his Potions teacher, the Head of Gryffindor House, and members of the Ministry had found him lying at the base of the Archway, whispering with a wheezing breath the incantation to negate the spell and bring his companions back, barely hanging on to conscious thought.

"Boys, everyone, calm down," Dumbledore ordered, holding up a hand to silence the room. Sirius stood, still holding Remus' hand. They were both at the Gryffindor table.

"Headmaster, she brought me back! There has to be a loophole! She's innocent!"

The other hand went up and Sirius shut up.

"Professor Black... made a decision that she knew would be the hardest one she would ever have to make. She did it so that you-" Dumbledore pointed to Sirius and Remus "- and all of you may have a future. And she left her memory behind for you."

Draco reared up in rage. "THAT'S ALL SHE HAD TO SAY?!"

The Headmaster shook his head, holding up his hand to stop the flow of outrage that followed Draco's statement. "No. She left her actual memory behind for you to see. To witness what will happen to the world if You-Know-Who wins." He gave a pointed look to the Slytherin table. "I cannot keep secrets from you any longer. The Dark Lord, Voldemort-" He pushed on, despite the flinches of most of the student body "- is rising in power. Professor Black came from another time, a time where everything good in the world is gone."

Harry sucked in a breath as Dumbledore lifted a hand and murmured a spell. The ceiling's illusion faded to reveal Professor Black. She smiled down at the students and their shouts of joy, excitement, and confusion.

"Well! If you're watching this, something has happened to me and I am unable to tell you in person. I've hopefully brought Sirius Black from his untimely death and Remus Lupin should be set until something else happens."

Remus ducked his head with a flush.

Professor Black's eyes became stern. "However, I think it is time for you all to see what this war will do to the world. Especially those considering becoming Death Eaters; you should rethink your position."

The Great Hall faded away and was replaced with a wasteland. A bunch of the children gasped and screamed in terror. It was a horrible scene, and once they looked closer they saw that it was actually Hogwarts. The castle was ablaze, sky thick with black smoke and alight with green. There were people in the air, fighting, dropping like flies, emerald flashes illuminating the clouds like lightning. Girls huddled together and sobbed, boys unable to tear their eyes away from the visage. Hermione buried her face into Ron's shoulder and Harry put a hand over his mouth. Draco lowered his eyes solemnly.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

"UNCLE DRACO!!" A young girl shouted, pushing her broom to its limit. The man she called for looked up and swept for her. His long hair was pulled back into a tail that billowed in the wind, and a scar marred his left cheek. However, despite the battles around him, he smiled and his ice blue eyes sparkled.

"Mahdis!" Called he, ducking as a Death Eater blasted for him. "This is no place for a ten-year old!"

"WHERE'S PAPA?!"

"GET OUT OF HERE, MAHDIS!" The smile was gone. "YOU NEED TO GET AWAY FROM HERE!! SIRIUS WILL BE FINE!!"

A bone-chilling howl filled the air and the battles seemed to freeze as all turned to stare at the flaxen-haired man that cried to the moon, head thrown back. Suddenly, from the blazing forest, came hundreds of wolves and canine-like creatures, sprouting wings and launching themselves into the sky. A giant wolf led them, golden eyes gleaming. Mahdis let out an excited squeal. "FENRIS!!"

Remus lowered his head and smiled grimly, holding onto his broom tightly as he made for a group of Death Eaters. Mahdis watched him as he suddenly turned, eyes widening as a bright, green light overwhelmed him. Arms wrapped around her, holding her back, as Remus slipped silently off his broom and fell to the world below.

Her shrill scream echoed as the world disappeared into blinding moon- colored light.

"FAAATHHHEEEERRRR!!"

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry looked around for Sirius and Remus, found them to his left. His godfather was covering his eyes with a trembling hand and the werewolf looked thoughtful. Draco placed his hand on Harry's shoulder, tightening slightly as the scene changed again. Hermione muttered something about it being like a 'movie'. They were at a graveyard this time, the air full of fog, the trees looming overhead darkly. Draco stood over a grave, Harry at his side, both cloaked. Between them was Mahdis, huddled into her own cloak, shivering.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

Sirius Black 1960-2009

Remus Lupin-Black 1960-2009

-Lovers in every sense of the word- -Loved and are loved- -Gone, but never forgotten-

Mahdis fell to her knees and reached out to trace the epitaph with gloved fingers. Draco's head bowed in respect, his unbound hair sweeping against his arms, and Harry stifled a sob. The Slytherin heir opened his arms to the girl solemnly and she buried herself into his embrace, weeping. He hefted her up, holding her tightly, letting her rest her head on his cloaked shoulder. He turned and nodded at Harry, who wiped his eyes and linked his hand with the dragon's. They walked away from the lonely tombstone, leaving imprints of their steps in the grass behind. It began to rain then, filling their prints, erasing their presence.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry blushed and stole a glance at said dragon, who couldn't tear his eyes away from the Pensieve.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

"UNCLE DRACO!! UNCLE HARRY!!" Mahdis called, bursting into a beautiful little house, hair curled and trailing behind her. She looked to be almost eighteen.

Draco, glancing from over the violin he held under his chin, lowered his instrument with a wistful sigh. Damn Murphy and his rules. "What is it, moon child?"

She closed her mouth and grimaced. "Don't call me that, Uncle Dee; I hate it when you call me that."

A blonde eyebrow rose. "And you think calling me 'Uncle Dee' is helping your case?"

"ANYWAY," she cut in, eyes rolling. "I'm getting married!!"

The violin fell to the floor with a crash. Draco blinked. "I'm sorry. I think I just hallucinated. What did you want to tell me?"

Mahdis swiveled around and threw her hands into the air; there was a golden glint from the fourth finger of her left hand. "I knew I should've gone to Uncle Harry first! I told myself that you would do this!"

"YOU'RE WHAT?!"

"Uncle Dee, stop shouting, I'm right here."

"DON'T CALL ME THAT!!"

"STOP YELLING!!"

"THE BOTH OF YOU!!" A new voice rose above their argument and they turned to see Harry with a basket of laundry. Draco paled and turned to run. "DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT, DRAY."

Draco cringed at the last word, muttering something about 'godsbedamned pet names' and 'collars'. He hated laundry.

"Uncle Harry! I'm getting married!"

He blinked. "Huh?"

Mahdis' shoulders dropped in disbelief. "What is with you people? You remember Keiran?"

"Isn't that the boy that put gum in your hair your first day of Hogwarts?"

She beamed, cheeks flushing. "One and the same."

Draco growled. "The boy you've been seeing behind our backs for the last... four years?"

A nod. "That'd be about right. Only it's more like four and a half years."

"... He's the one that was pulled out during fifth year to become an Auror. Wait wait wait! He's an AUROR?!"

Her smile widened into a grin. "An elite Auror. He could probably kick your ass in a fight, Uncle Draco."

Aforementioned man looked horrified. "HE COULD NOT!!"

"Blind-folded," Harry added, choking back a giggle. He dropped the basket of clothes at Draco's feet. "Well, congratulations, Mahdis! We'll talk more in a bit after Lord Uncle Dee's finished doing menial house chores like the rest of us."

Draco launched himself at the two with a roar and they ran, shrieking with laughter. The blonde snatched a pillow from the couch and went after them, sighting his goddaughter's hair as it disappeared around the corner at the top of the stairs.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

All eyes fell on Draco, who was smiling. It was a beautiful gesture on a face that had been marred for so long by scowls and sneers. Most of the students caught their breath at the sight. Harry was among them. But Harry had an advantage; he, in a future time, would be Draco's lover. And all were witnesses to this.

Sirius, across from him, rolled his eyes and huffed. "Bloody Malfoys."

The deadpan, silver eyes of a dragon turned in his direction to give the Animagus a less-than-thrilled look as the world blurred again to transit to one, final scene.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

It was raining again, soaking into clothes and skin and soil and wood. The weather turned the gravestones a dull slate, drowned planted flowers and ended the peaceful silence that one would find in a cemetery. A lone figure, hooded and cloaked, knelt in the center of a circle of tombstones. Their head was bowed, gloved hands clenched into fists on their lap. The hooded figure was suddenly closer, and although the person's face was shadowed, a single golden eye could be seen; a tear leaked from the corner.

Draco Malfoy Free at Last

It was a beautiful stone, carved intricately. The dates of birth and death, however, were not to be found. Below the name was another.

Harry James Potter The Boy Who Lived Inadvertently Saved Our Souls

She traced the epitaph of another grave.

Keiran Kiril Beloved Husband and Father

The dates were missing. Her fingers went to a smaller tombstone.

Sarda Kiril Forever running in the sunlight

No dates. Another tear fell and the hand fell away to clutch a cloaked belly.

"Justice will be done," she whispered, head falling to her bent knees. "I swear it."

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

The Great Hall was righted once again, everything returned to normal as the Pensieve faded away; however, it was unnaturally silent. The students stared blankly at the ceiling or at their tables, not at each other or at Dumbledore. Remus rested his head wearily on Sirius' shoulder and Harry's face was in his hands.

Draco suddenly stood. "Headmaster!"

All eyes fell on him. He lifted his chin higher.

"Justice will be done!" Was his vow, and he looked more regal than anything anyone had ever seen. His silver eyes fell on the Slytherin table. "We will all fight!"

Goyle looked at Crabbe, who looked back at Goyle, and they both got to their feet slowly. Pansy huffed and crossed her arms, averting her eyes elsewhere. Blaise Zabini stood, as did Millicent Bullstrode. Soon, the entire Slytherin table (sans Pansy) was standing, their eyes eager to help this very unlikely leader.

The Hufflepuff table was on its feet. Then Ravenclaw.

Draco looked down at Harry with a shadow of a familiar smirk and held out his hand. "C'mon, Potter. Let's see what you're made of."

The Boy Who Lived's mouth broke out into a grin and he clasped Draco's hand, allowing him to be pulled to his feet.

Sirius and Remus stood. The rest of the table followed. Ron, brows beetled, made his way over to Draco, who hadn't relinquished his hold on Harry's hand. He frowned, meeting the dragon's gaze.

"I still think you're a bloody waste of space."

That won a grin. "I still think you're laughably poor."

Ron laughed a little. "Well... it seems we're at an impasse."

"Ooh, big word, Weasel."

They were both grinning. Hermione caught Harry's eye and giggled, rushing over to them.

Dumbledore smiled, eyes twinkling, and he glanced at the teachers behind him. Their faces held a variety of expressions, ranging between shock and hope. Snape got to his feet and crossed his arms, face bored.

"Well, then. What can this lot of dunderheads do?"

Harry's hand squeezed Draco's and the main door burst in suddenly.

"HEADMASTER!! GRIMMAULD PLACE... THE ORDER'S BEEN..."

The hall fell silent once again, and the messenger continued quietly, tears in his eyes.

"They're all... gone..."


End file.
